Arthur Johnson Family
It’s All in the Family
Fifty-five
years ago, an accident left eight children without parents. Arthur
Johnson was killed immediately and his wife, Ada, died hours later. One
son, LeRoy, was seriously injured.
Their relatives in Iowa were
devastated by the situation. Ada had been married previously, divorced
and had two children before she married Johnson. The son and daughter
from the previous marriage were older and could care for themselves,
but there were six children in need of care.
Ben Olson of
Meriden, a brother of their mother, and Bert Lundell, a brother-in-law
of their mother, went to California and brought the six children back
to Iowa two weeks after the accident. LeRoy had recuperated enough to
travel.
A daughter, Lorraine Johnson Lundell Brosbeck said, “It
was a cold winter day wen the train pulled into Meriden on January 17,
1943. None of us had warm coats on. By the time the train stopped,
everyone on that train knew our plight.”
Thus, the six children
were farmed out to relatives. They only had been together previous to
this weekend when the two oldest children died. Oscar died of cancer in
1960 and Alva died in 1975 of a heart attack.
Recently, Darrel had a
cardiac problem. Word was passed along that it was time to gather
together. Thus, this last week end has been a joyous one for all
of them.
The oldest son, LeRoy Johnson, was 16 when all of this
happened. After a year in Iowa with the Ben and Edith Olson
family of Meriden, he went back to California and entered the service.
After the service he enrolled in Georgia Tech to earn his business
degree. He has lived in various places before settling in Georgia where
he is a purchasing agent for a major company.
The second and
fourth sons, Wayne and Galen were 11 and 9. They were raised by the
Olsons. After graduating from Meriden High School, Wayne joined the Air
Force. When he returned, Wayne worked at Wilson’s in Cherokee. Since
then, Wayne helps his wife Eleanor at the Cherokee Country Club.
Galen
went into the service after graduation as well. When his term was
completed, he attended the university of Oregon and earned his degree
to become an accountant. He has lived in Washington and Georgia before
settling back in Oregon.
Darrell, the third oldest, was taken in
by Merle and Evelyn Prunty of Marcus. After graduating from Marcus High
School, he enrolled in the University of South Dakota. As with
his brothers, he spent time in the service. Upon completion, Darrell
enrolled in the University of Southern California to earn a Masters
Degree to become an accountant as well. He has lived in New York,
Chicago, and L. A. He now resides in Springfield, Mo.
LuVern, the
fifth son, and the youngest, Lorraine (the only daughter), lived with
Bert and Esther Lundell of Cleghorn. Luvern presently lives in Kearney,
Neb. And owns a number of fast-food restaurants. After he
graduated from Cleghorn High School, he attended Iowa State university.
For 25 years, he worked for a fertilizer business.
After
graduating from Cleghorn High School, Lorraine ended up in Florida. She
married, attended Western Iowa Tech Community College to earn an
associate degree in business. She worked for the Sioux City
Journal for 12 years, worked for the federal government and then for
Congressman Fred Grandy.
Although the majority of them were within 30 miles of each other during their childhood years, life had changed for them.
Galen
said, “It was like we were cousins. We knew each other and perhaps we’d
see each other every two to four weeks but that’s not the same as
living together. Imagine brothers playing basketball on opposing teams.
I would look at my brother and want to beat him.”
Darrell agreed, “It’s like we have two families. The one we grew up with plus our real family.”
Lorraine
added, “for the first couple of years, we saw a lot of each other. Our
grandmother Olson made sure of that. After she died, we didn’t see each
other so much.”
Each paused for a moment before speaking. Each
stated that they were well cared for and loved. They began to
think of the Olsons, Lund ells and Pruntys as parents. Family moments
with each other on a day-to-day basis was not to be. As they matured,
they realize that they have something very precious to share-their
roots. Their family identity will not be lost.
All of them have
married and have a total of 14 children. During their young adult
years, they were busy getting their education, marrying and making
their livelihood. They didn’t get to see much of one another but
tried to stay in contact.
In 1960 and 1975, funerals brought
them together. This time, it was for the pure joy of seeing each other
and catching up on the news. Way and his wife Eleanor, with the help of
their daughter, Kara Jacobson, hosted a family meal at the Cherokee
Country Club on Friday evening. Saturday morning, the clan gathered at
Jacobsons for a brunch. A few of the cousins joined in as well.
Saturday
afternoon, the group had a very emotional moment. Alva’s three
daughters from Texas and Louisiana, joined them. The girls had met
LeRoy and Darrell but hadn’t seen the others. They had family photos
and memories that their mother had shared with them. That evening, they
returned for a good Iowa feed at the Country Club.
On Sunday,
they all were planning to attend the Oakdale Evangelical Free Church
and have a picnic in the church’s park. It was a day for plenty of
reminiscing and family fun. The Johnson family built memories for years
to come.
(Source: Author: Nancy Hohbach. The Chronicle, Cherokee, Iowa, Thurs., July 2, 1998, pg. 32)
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